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Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1
Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
both now and forever.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord;
above the heavens is his glory.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R./ Blessed be the name of the Lord forever. or: Alleluia.
Lk 11:29-32
As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, "People of the present time are evil people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah's preaching made them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah."
Some people ask for “signs” from God to be sure that something is God’s will or, in a bold move, to prove his presence or existence. This seems a bit daring and, dare I say, a bit offensive. Does God really need to prove his own existence or his presence?
But God is merciful and does send signs. A smile in a difficult moment, a helping hand when it’s needed, a joyful family moment, a medical diagnosis that makes you wonder how to go on living. An encounter with someone who gives the right word at the right time. Sometimes these small signs go unnoticed.
That’s why today, from a pedagogical standpoint, we’re encouraged to reflect on the significance of the sign of signs, namely the story of Jonah. The ultimate sign—a whale, no less! Just to be safe. A whale that brings the prophet back to life with a spout of water. But the sign of Jonah actually points to something even greater. But there’s something even greater than the whale, even if it’s not as “visible” and much more glorious. That’s the sign of the Cross, and then there’s the sign of Christ’s tomb. A little splash of water (not a whale spout) from the side of Christ marks the beginning of the Church. A stone rolled from a tomb marks the start of eternal life for those who accept this risen Lord. The three days of Jonah in the whale’s belly, in all their drama and impossibility, pale in comparison to the three days of Jesus’ death in the tomb. What more sign do we need than the certainty of life forever? What more sign would we need than the open arms of Christ on the Cross, which speak volumes about an unfathomable and mysterious love?
Every day, we can find lots of signs of hope and life. All of them, no matter how small, point to the bigger sign of the Cross and the water and Blood that give life and eternal life.
Carmen AguinacoIn a rather difficult passage, Paul speaks to us today of freedom: We are born free as Christians, as people of the New Testament. Now that Christ has set us free, we should see to it that we are never enslaved again. Paul himself is a striking example of this “liberating freedom”: he has freed himself from pharisaism. He could even take a free stance regarding the other apostles when Christian freedom was at stake. Are we free persons?
Jesus reprimands the Jews for not believing unless they see spectacular signs. But Christ proclaims that faith consists of trust in the word and in the person who is sent. The early Christian community specified further that faith rests in confidence in the risen Christ. The preeminent sign is Jesus Christ himself. We believe not because of this or that wonder or proof but because Jesus makes God visible to us.
Lord our God,
Your son remained a free person
even in the face of death:
Life was not taken from him,
he gave it in freedom to you and to us,
that we might be free people.
Keep us free from slavery in any form,
from the evil of sin, first of all,
but also from our own fears and complexes,
the pressures of people, the herd spirit,
that we may be faithful to the gospel
and free for people and for you.
We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
– For the leaders of nations, that they may respect and promote human rights and work relentlessly for justice, happiness and freedom for their people, we pray:
– For the oppressed and the exploited, that they may not take their marginal existence as the will of God, but that they may become conscious that they too are called to be free, we pray:
– For this community, that we may not shut up ourselves within little prisons of self-interest, but that we may be truly one and free in Christ as a community of service, we pray:
God our Father,
we come before you and offer you our gifts
as your free sons and daughters.
Give us your Son as our guide
that through him we may win
the relentless struggle
to gain our interior freedom,
so that we may be fully human
and indeed your sons and daughters reborn free
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord our God,
strangely enough, we are free
when we are bound to you as your people.
In this Eucharist, we have encountered again
your Son Jesus Christ.
With him, we are willing
to be all lifelong apprentices
of the freedom to serve and to love.
Let him go with us on his road
that leads to your land of freedom,
for you are our God forever and ever.
Born free, we should never become slaves to anyone or anything. Whatever is said today, we are sons and daughters of the Father, and that is a relationship of love and, therefore, of freedom. May almighty God keep you free and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
